Senator calls for hearing on Greenbush, South Coast rail

Michael Norton

Friday

Oct 29, 2010 at 12:01 AMOct 29, 2010 at 7:32 PM

Citing Greenbush line ridership numbers that are 40 percent below projections and the lack of a funding source for the proposed $1.4 billion South Coast commuter rail expansion, Sen. Robert Hedlund on Thursday called on his colleagues to host an oversight hearing on both issues.

Citing Greenbush line ridership numbers that are 40 percent below projections and the lack of a funding source for the proposed $1.4 billion South Coast commuter rail expansion, Sen. Robert Hedlund on Thursday called on his colleagues to host an oversight hearing on both issues.

Hedlund, R-Weymouth, a member of the Legislature's Transportation Committee, said the 2009 transportation reform law requires the state to analyze, identify and make public the construction and operating costs of all new transportation projects before "expending any funds for the planning, design and construction of any such project."

"With the Patrick Administration pushing for a $1.4 billion rail restoration project, despite not having identified any funding sources, and despite the MBTA already having an $8 billion debt load, I think we as legislators must discuss whether these type of expensive, low-return projects are appropriate in the immediate future,” he said.

Asked about Hedlund’s call, Sen. Steven Baddour (D-Methuen), co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, said Hedlund had raised “legitimate points.” Baddour said, “I think it’s an appropriate topic for a hearing.” He said the committee also remains interested in oversight hearings focused on implementation of the 2009 reform law.

The Patrick administration has aggressively pushed for rail service expansion to Fall River and New Bedford, citing economic and quality of life benefits along the rail corridor and the importance of connecting the South Coast cities to Boston.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray told the News Service in June that the South Coast rail project would be paid for with state and federal funding, district improvement financing, "value capture" funding and public-private partnerships.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo on Thursday called South Coast rail a “critical transportation project.” Pesaturo said, “We are awaiting an Army Corps of Engineers decision on a preferred alternative, and a finance plan depends on that preferred alternative.”

According to Hedlund, who cited a Metropolitan Planning Organization study paid for by the MBTA, ridership on the Greenbush line is 40 percent below projections, service on the line that began three years ago has "largely cannibalized" other mass transit options, and the service from Boston, through Weymouth, Hingham and Cohasset to Scituate, has had "no impact on regional traffic, with traffic counts actually increasing since service began."

Hedlund said the study found an average of 1,934 commuters board Greenbush trains during peak hours, less than the projection of 3,230 that he said was included in environmental reports for the project. Also, 47 percent of Greenbush riders used to take the MBTA commuter boat and nearly 16 percent used to ride another MBTA commuter rail line, Hedlund said, citing the study. Commuter boat ridership is down 24 percent, he said.

In response to Hedlund’s concerns, Pesaturo said the authority was required to build the Greenbush line due to legal commitments made to obtain the environmental permits needed for the Big Dig.

Pesaturo said analysts in the final environmental report on Greenbush included ridership projections for five years after the start of service. “Since it’s only been three years since October 2007, no one is in a position to say that ridership has not met expectations,” Pesaturo said, adding that 4,332 passenger trips were recorded on a recent workday, the highest count in the three years of operations.

“The numbers are trending in the right direction, and as the economy continues to improve, the ridership will continue to grow,” Pesaturo said. “The success of a region’s public transit system is defined by the number of options it offers. Greenbush offers a better, more convenient trip for many people who formerly used motor vehicles or even commuter boats from Hingham. For example, people who live in Scituate or Cohasset no longer have to drive as far to park before getting on the public transit system. This also frees up parking spaces at the commute boat lot for those seeking the water travel alternative.”

Pesaturo said Greenbush was designed and built to accommodate ridership growth for years to come.

“Railroads are built to be around for decades, and Greenbush is only in its infancy,” he said. “Like other railroads before it, Greenbush, which generally performs at a 95 percent on-time performance rate, will continue to attract more and more riders in the years to come.”

In addition to holding the line on fares and tolls, state officials are under pressure to both keep up with expansion plans and the high costs of operating and maintaining commuter rail service while staying mindful of the MBTA’s already high debt costs.

“Obviously operation and maintenance of these new lines has been ignored in the past and going forward it’s something we need to aggressively look at in order to determine whether we can afford expansion projects,” Baddour said. He said he did not believe the Patrick administration had adequately identified sources of funding rail service to the South Coast, but said it was worth pursuing whether the project can be built.

Baddour said the problem-plagued $15 billion Big Dig project lacked proper oversight and that he “wouldn’t have a problem” holding an oversight hearing on Greenbush and South Coast rail issues this year. “There needs to be some real oversight,” he said.

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